BLOOD LEGACIES
Chapter 525: The Shadow In The Dark

Chapter 525: The Shadow In The Dark

I flashed my eyes open. The clock ticking sealed my ears, dousing out the rest of the world. I tried to ground myself from my temporal frozen state until my body flinched, with enough deep concentration, my body gained response and I could suddenly breathe properly.

The memories of my dream suddenly swamped me and it got me in deep thought if that was just a dream or a memory—It was too real to be called a dream and too unnatural to be real. I didn’t know how to explain it but the memory of staring into that creature’s soulless eyes was unsettling to the point it felt like those nightmares you had as a child.

Where creatures form in your head and make you think you’re trapped with them with no escape.

It felt exactly like that.

And I’m not even sure I was out of it yet. I’m still mentally there and it took everything to move my body from that one position to curve into a ball and silently pray I don’t start seeing things.

I felt chills in my body, my teeth rattling together from an unknown ghostly chill. Storming me from the inside out and putting me back in that position—when I saw Tessa covered in blood.

I squeezed my eyes shut and buried myself more into the covers, hoping to forget about it even if just for a moment, and be sane enough to collect myself and think of the next action to take. But the strong smell of smoke distracted me.

Smoke?

"Did you have a bad dream baby girl?"

I pulled the covers away and sat up with wide eyes. Just at the corner of the room, there was a trail of smoke and a burnt red dot. The shadow it came from was massive, able to take half of the room into his aura. My room was suddenly too small and my breath shortened momentarily.

I opened my mouth but I was rendered speechless not until I closed them and opened them back again to get the word out. "Dace,"

I couldn’t say anything else because I was still stunned. How long has he been there? Was he there the whole time?

"Are you cold?"

Despite the dark, I could feel his eyes roaming my body taking in every detail, goosebumps found my skin because I could feel the heat of his gaze drilling into my skin.

"What are you doing here?"

"Watching you," he replied casually.

To be honest I felt relieved by his statement because I knew nothing could hurt me if he was here but I egged on to keep the conversation going. "Why?"

"Watching you sleep is one of my favorite things"

I gulped, feeling warmth in my chest. "D-Done it before?"

"Many times, over the year"

The revelation struck me harder than I could contain. Not only has he stalked me but he also watched me closely. How come I never notice this? Was I too consumed by grief or were my vampire traits really gone after Luther’s death?

I barely used my magic too, I was so caught up in trying to blend in with the human world that I had completely forgotten what it felt like to wield magic. Hayden might bring the Grimoire but can I really pull it off? It felt like a part of myself was missing.

A lot of things were missing, I only just realized that now.

"What are you thinking about?"

I glanced back at him... the shadow of him. "Emilia is worried about you," I began in a soft tone. "She said you haven’t been around since your mother came back"

"Hmm," he made a deep sound as I observed the red dot move closer and I assumed he was taking a drag from his cigar before releasing the smoke into the air.

"Why are you really here, Dace?"

"Because I miss you"

There was no emotion to his tune but it sounded like a profound fact no one can argue with not even him.

I moved to get off the bed but his words stopped me.

"Stay there"

I froze. "Why?"

"You don’t want to know why, baby"

That’s the thing about me... I’m curious to find out. Besides, he was the one who came to my room. I shouldn’t be the only one to expect the unexpected.

Slowly, I pulled the covers away to expose my legs and I climbed out of the bed. My feet tapped against the cold tiles as I walked closer. But it got darker and harder to see, away from the soft reflection of the moonlight.

"You never listen" he murmured but there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Step into the light I can’t see you," I said with my eyes on the red dot as my leading line to him but it burnt out and the thick smell of smoke followed. Did he just quench it?

"Are you afraid of the dark? Since when?"

I inhaled sharply. "Since I knew werelions and vampires existed"

He chuckled. "How come I never noticed this?" he paused like he was thinking about his words. "Ha..."

"Dark water, ring a bell?" I said getting frustrated.

"I thought we were past that, baby girl"

"Well I hate to break it to you but I’m not entirely," I said. Especially not after that nightmare I had, I could strangely still feel that thing grip on me.

"Remember when I said I would fuck out your fears?"

His shadows moved and my body tensed but not in the way that I was paralyzed by fear but something else coiled deep inside me followed by a chill. It was a thrill.

"Yes?" I said in a raspy voice. I suddenly felt a presence behind me, the heat from him caused me to break a sweat, I want to move but for a fuck up reason I can’t, my limbs were not functioning as they used to almost like they didn’t belong to me anymore.

"Would you object when I do that right now?"